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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498175">Overwhelmed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHeartForStories/pseuds/AHeartForStories'>AHeartForStories</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AHeartForStories' Comfortember 2020 [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfortember 2020, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Female Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Genderbending, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III Whump, Hurt Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, h/c, implied unwanted attention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 02:27:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHeartForStories/pseuds/AHeartForStories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Comfortember Day 10. Follow-up to Whumptober Day 17's "He Knows". Viggo made good on his promise and everyone knows. That means the attention Hiccup gets now is like nothing she's ever experienced before and that can be overwhelming.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AHeartForStories' Comfortember 2020 [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Overwhelmed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Comfortember prompt: Crying</p><p>So this takes place after Whumptober Day 17's "He Knows", sometime after Viggo has followed up on his threat. Main fic still to come, which takes place between Whumptober and Comfortember.<br/>First fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27070225</p><p>Constructive criticism is appreciated!<br/>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peace treaty signings between two tribes that aren't just allies but good friends as well? They can get a little wild and both parties make use of this opportunity. They don't have to work, they drink more than usual, more friendly fights break out, friendships are both made and broken, it's a reason to be loud.</p><p>These things can be overwhelming, especially for someone who can't quite handle such loud events. Especially when you used to not partake in such loud events until recently because of certain, specific circumstances.</p><p>So when Astrid can't find her girlfriend, she figures she must've retreated from the feasting to go to a quieter place and leaves the Great Hall to meet the cold northern air outside.</p><p>"Hiccup?" She calls her name, looking around to see if she can catch a sign of her right outside. First glance, tells her she's not here.</p><p>She could've gone to the forge, to the former Dragon Academy, or maybe she just went home.</p><p>"Ruffnut," Astrid calls out as she sees a Rider coming her way and she stops her. "Have you seen Hiccup? I think she left the Great Hall and I can't find her."</p><p>"Yeah, we passed each other, I think she went to the cove. She looked upset." Ruffnut points her in the right direction and Astrid is quick to call Stormfly. If something made her upset, then she needs to find out what.</p>
<hr/><p>Just as Ruffnut told her, Astrid finds Hiccup in the cove with Toothless. The Night Fury sits at the bank of the lake, murring as if talking to his Rider as she throws a pebble in the water, breaking the clear surface.</p><p>"Bud, I know you want to help and that's really sweet of you, but no." Hiccup rejects whatever it is Toothless is telling her as Stormfly lands with a squawk.</p><p>The two look over while Astrid dismounts.</p><p>"Astrid," Hiccup calls to her, carrying fistfuls of rock.</p><p>"Taking out your frustrations on the lake?" She asks, pointing towards her full hands.</p><p>"Uh yeah, kind of." Hiccup mutters as she looks down at her hands before dropping the rocks, wiping her hands clean.</p><p>"You mind telling me what's going on? I searched for you in the Great Hall, but I couldn't find you. Then Ruffnut told me you went to the cove and that you looked upset. And I can see it, too." Astrid can see that her girlfriend's eyes are watery. Tears of frustration or something else?</p><p>"You want to talk about it?"</p><p>Hiccup gazes at her and wonders if she wants to before huffing and sitting down on a nearby rock. Toothless pads over and bumps her knee.</p><p>"No, I already told you, I'm not repeating myself." Hiccup retorts and that just clues Astrid in on the nature of the problem. It's something she's embarrassed about and would rather not say twice.</p><p>"Hiccup," Astrid says her name as she walks closer and kneels in front of her, taking her hands.</p><p>"You can talk to me about anything, you know that. Especially now." She tells her, her thumbs stroking the backs of her hands.</p><p>The 'especially now' part is in reference to Hiccup's current situation. Ever since Viggo went and blabbed to everyone about what Hiccup Haddock truly is, she's been forced to step into a life she's never known before simply because it was denied her since her birth. That is scary.</p><p>But Astrid has lived this life for the past 20 years now, she can help if it has something to do with this.</p><p>Thinking for a moment, Hiccup figures she may as well talk. She's seen Astrid deal with this matter before.</p><p>"It's just... These people.... I've known them my whole life and when they used to visit before I met Toothless, they used to treat me with mild annoyance at best. Then they visited for the first time since Toothless and there was something akin to... I don't know, respect? And now that they know that I'm a... I'm a..." Hiccup stops there, seemingly unable to continue.</p><p>"A woman? It's not a dirty word when it's about you, Hiccup, we talked about this." Astrid reminds her, both remembering the long hours of battling the very low self-respect Hiccup has internalized for as long as she's been alive. There are things she thinks that she would never think about Astrid or Ruffnut.</p><p>"... I know. I know it up here, just not quite down here." Hiccup tells her, gesturing to her head and then her heart. Astrid smiles at her.</p><p>"Anyway, now when I see them, it's like... I don't even know how to describe it, but it's not pleasant. They want things that I don't want to give them. They didn't even want to leave me alone when I told them 'no' the first time." Hiccup crosses her arms tightly, shoulders hunched.</p><p>Recalling it makes the tears come back in full force, but she doesn't cry. Not for this.</p><p>Astrid, meanwhile, is seething. Maybe she never actively thought about it, but in the back of her mind, she knew Hiccup would eventually have to deal with this, with people who want certain and very specific things from her that she isn't willing to give. And often, they don't care if she's willing to, either.</p><p>Astrid has dealt with it for much longer than Hiccup has, who has always used this male persona as a shield, even if it was something forced on her by others. Astrid can see how receiving such attention all of a sudden now would be overwhelming.</p><p>Astrid can see how uncomfortable she is, how violated a part of her already feels, and angry, too. She looks like she's about to cry and that isn't an easy feat to accomplish with Hiccup, who Astrid last saw cry because of leg pain shortly after her amputation four years ago.</p><p>"And your dad? Did he see anything?" Hiccup nods at her question.</p><p>"He saw that they were making me uncomfortable, but I didn't want to be any trouble, so I left." She tells her. She could practically see his blood boil, which is why she left instead of causing a scene.</p><p>"Oh, Babe," Astrid sighs out of compassion. "You being in trouble is not you being a burden. Not before Viggo and not now."</p><p>Hiccup gives her a meaningful look.</p><p>"How do you deal with it?" But she has to ask. She has seen Astrid, Ruffnut, and Heather, too, deal with unwanted attention before.</p><p>"Usually, I punch them. If that doesn't work, axe. So far I haven't had to use my axe, though." Astrid responds and then finds herself thinking.</p><p>Hiccup can fend for herself just fine, with the Inferno or Toothless especially, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell her where to hit someone that's harassing her. The more it hurts, the better.</p><p>"I'm glad." Hiccup tells her in response to the axe comment. Astrid shouldn't have to get into trouble for something like that.</p><p>Vikings usually don't stand for things like that, but the reality is often different.</p><p>Moving up from her knees before her feet are too numb, Astrid takes a seat on the rock next to her and wraps an arm around her to pull her close, their heads touching.</p><p>"I love you, you know that?" Astrid asks and brings a hand up to wipe at Hiccup's eyes.</p><p>"I do and I love you, too." Hiccup replies and finds herself smiling, comforted by Astrid's presence. She rests her head on her significant other's shoulder and Astrid places a kiss on the top of her head.</p><p>She would do anything for Hiccup, too, and she hopes she knows that.</p>
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